Benny Feilhaber never really fit in with the New England Revolution. Now he’ll get his chance to make his mark with one of Major League Soccer’s top clubs.

Sporting Kansas City acquired the former U.S. national team midfielder on Tuesday afternoon in exchange for allocation money, its first-round pick in the 2014 MLS Draft and its second-round selection in 2015.

There’s a an opening in SKC’s midfield—assuming Roger Espinoza finalizes his anticipated move to England’s Wigan Athletic next month—and if Feilhaber can play with the intensity coach Peter Vermes demands, he should offer a dynamic boost to a club that had difficulty scoring goals in 2012.

“Benny is an excellent two-way, box-to-box midfielder who has tremendous ability, especially with the final pass,” Vermes said in a statement. “His experience with the U.S. national team programs and playing overseas will serve him well in our system.”

Feilhaber, 27, joined New England early in the 2011 MLS season accompanied by considerable hype. He had performed well in a reserve role at the 2010 World Cup, helping the Americans recover from several deficits with his composed play off the bench.

In fact, the U.S. scored four goals and yielded only one with Feilhaber on the field in South Africa, while it scored one and gave up four before he entered. He also helped the Americans to a runner-up finish at the ‘09 Confederations Cup and tallied the game-winning goal in the ‘07 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, a thunderous long-range volley at Soldier Field that lifted the U.S. to a 2-1 win over Mexico.

But he didn’t have much impact on the struggling Revolution, accounting for five goals and nine assists in 52 MLS games. He reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye with first-year coach Jay Heaps in ‘12 and spent time on the flank (Feilhaber prefers to play centrally) and on the bench as New England missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. With Feilhaber reportedly due a raise from the team-leading $446,000 he earned in 2012, his departure came as no surprise.

He’ll get a fresh start with SKC, which finished first in the Eastern Conference and won the U.S. Open Cup this year and has the CONCACAF Champions League to look forward to in 2013.

"I am really excited to come to Sporting Kansas City," Feilhaber said. "It is a top-class organization and team in Major League Soccer. My goal is to help the team however I can. I cannot wait to play in the best stadium in the league and in front of a great fan base. I am already hyped for the first home game."

New England GM Mike Burns called the trade “the most beneficial outcome for the Revs.”

Feilhaber left UCLA in ’05 and spent time in Germany with Hamburger SV, in England with Derby County and in Denmark with AGF Aarhus. He remained with the Danish club following its 2010 relegation to the second division and finally secured his move to the Revolution in April ’11. He has played 39 times for the U.S. but only once under current coach Jurgen Klinsmann.